Adjustable peep sight for firearms



\ 256M611 mom 33-253. (JR 2,083 934 5R June 15, 1937. ARDEN 2,083,934

ADJUSTABLE PEEP SIGHT FOR FIREARMS Filed Aug. 19, 1955 33. GEOMETRICALlNSlRUMENTS.

Patented June 15, 1937 UNITED STATES am Re PATENT OFFICE Thomas R.Arden, Baldwin, N. Y., assignor to 0. F. Mossberg & Sons, Incorporated,New Haven,

Conn, a corporation Application August 19, 1935, Serial No. 36,815

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in adjustable sights forfirearms, and particularly to adjustable peep-sights for such arms.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide at a low costfor manufacture a simple, reliable and convenient adjustable peep-sightfor firearms.

A further object is to provide a superior adjustable peep-sightcharacterized by its capacity for being conveniently adjusted,regardless of the particular relative rotary position which thesight-structure as a whole may occupy with respect to the adjacent partsof the firearm upon which it is mounted.

With the above and other objects in view, as will appear to thoseskilled in the art from the following, considered in conjunction withthe accompanying drawing and appended claims, the present inventionincludes all features disclosed therein which are novel over the priorart.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the receiverportion of a firearm,showing a peep-sight embodying the present invention mounted thereon;

Fig. 2 is a view in rear elevation of the peepsight with thesupporting-means broken away;

Fig. 3 is a vertical central-longitudinal sectional View thereof;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the body-member of the sight, lookingtoward the rear face thereof;

Fig. 6 is a similar View of the operating-ring viewed from the forwardend thereof;

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the tubular detent;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the sight-shutter viewed from the rear;and

Fig. 9 is a similar view of the sight-shutter viewed mainly from itsfront face.

The particular adjustable peep-sight herein chosen for the illustrationof the present invention includes in the main a body-member 20, asight-shutter 35 and an operating-ring 44.

The body-member 20, above referred to, is provided with aforwardly-extending boss 23, the forward face of which provides astop-shoulder 24, and from which forwardly offsets anexternally-threaded tubular stem 25. The said bodymember is alsoprovided with a knurled annular bead 26, just rearwardly of which thesaid bodymember is formed with an annular groove 21, the rear wall ofwhich latter provides a forwardlyfacing retaining-shoulder 28 for thepurpose as will hereinafter appear.

Extending axially through the entire bodymember 20, including the boss23 and stem 25 thereof, is a sight-passage 29, the rear portion of whichis enlarged to provide a spring-seat 30 and to accommodate a tubulardetent 3| and a helical spring 32.

The tubular detent 3| is mounted in the enlarged rear portion of thesight-passage 29 of the body-member with capacity for reciprocationtherein, and is yieldingly urged rearwardly by the helical spring 32,before referred to, to engage the beveled rear end 33 of the saidtubular detent 3! with any given one of a series of four (more or less)forwardly-opening recesses 34 formed in the forward face of the rotarysight-shutter 35. Preferably, the recesses 34 are formed by rearwardlyupsetting the metal of the said sightshutter. The said recesses 34 arerespectively centrally arranged with respect to four (more or less)sight-apertures 33, 31, 38 and 39, of graduated diameters, the smallestbeing said aperture 36 and the largest thereof being the said aperture39, as particularly well shown in Figs. 8 and 9.

Upon its periphery the sight-shutter 35 is formed with an annular seriesof gear-teeth 40 and bears in a shallow eccentric recess 4| rearwardlyopening from the body-member 20 and intersecting the periphery thereof.The periphery of the said recess conforms to and provides a bearing forthe periphery of the said sightshutter, which it serves to centralize.Meshing into the teeth 40 of the sight-shutter 35 is an annular seriesof inwardly-projecting gear-teeth 42 formed upon a gear-ring 43 rigidlymounted in the interior of the cup-shaped operating-ring 44 preferablyby being forced therein. The forwardly-extending annular flange 45 ofthe operatihg-ring 44 has its forward edge inturned as at 46 (Fig. 3)for engagement with the retaining-= shoulder 28 of the body-member 20.The rear or end wall 41 of the said operating-ring 44 is provided with acentral sight-opening 48 registering with the axial sight-passage 29 inthe body-member 20.

The body-member 20, rearwardly of its retaining-shoulder 21 has itsperiphery cut away as at 49 to clear the gear-ring 43, which latter,together with the operating-ring 44 of which it forms a part, is free torotate upon the said bodymember for adjusting the sight in a manner aswill be presently described. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 3that the rear wall 41 of the operating-ring 44 serves to retain thesightshutter 35 in the recess 4| of the body-member against rearwarddisplacement with respect thereto. Y

The body-member 20, and hence the entire sight-structure, may be mountedupon any suitable support, and, as shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, thetubular stem 25 of the said bodymember is threaded into aninternally-threaded bore 50 formed in a cross-slide 5| mounted in anapertured cross-bar 52 forming a feature of a sight-support, generallydesignated by the numeral 53 and upstanding from one side of afirearm-receiver 54, as indicated in Fig. 1.

As shown in the accompanying drawing, one of the intermediate sizesight-apertures (38) in the sight-shutter 35 is in registration with thesightopening 48 of the operating-ring 44, and also in registration withthe sight-passage 29 in the bodymember 20 and hence in registration withthe hollow interior of the tubular detent 3|. As the parts are thus set,a clear line of vision may be had axially through the sight-structure,the effective diameter of which is determined by the particular one ofthe sight-apertures 36 to 39 inclusive which happens to be inregistration as referred to.

If now, the knurled exterior of the flange 45 of the operating-ring 44is grasped and turned with respect to the body-member 20, the gearteeth42 carried by the said ring will efiect the rotation of thesight-shutter 35 and bring the desired one of the apertures 36 to 39inclusive into registration with the sight-opening 48 in the said ringand with the sight-passage 29 of the bodymember 20. As the sight-shutter35 is moved, the tubular detent 3| against the resistance of its spring32 by the coaction of the wall of the particular recess 34 surroundingthe sight-aperture 38 with the beveled rear end 33 of the detent 3|. Aseach sight-aperture 36 to 39 inclusive comes into registration with thesight-opening 48, the beveled end 33 of the said tubular detent 3| willsnap rearwardly into the particular one of the recesses 34 at theforward end of that particular sight-aperture, and will servetoyieldingly hold such sight-aperture in proper registration.

One of the particular advantages of the adjustable peep-sight structureillustrated and described is that, regardless of what position theeccentrically-positioned sight-shutter 35 occupies when the sight ismounted with reference to the receiver 54, the operating-ring 44 may begrasped from the most convenient direction and turned to effect theadjustment of the said sight-shutter.

The invention may be carried out in other specific ways than that hereinset forth without departing from the spirit and essentialcharacteristics of the invention, and the present embodiment is,therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and notrestrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalencyrange of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim:

1. In an adjustable peep-sight, the combination with a body-memberhaving a sight-passage will be cammed forwardly therein; of a rotarysight-shutter carried by the said body-member and having a plurality ofdifferentially-sized sight-apertures sequentiallyregistrable with thesight-passage of the said body-member to vary the effective sizethereof; and an annular adjusting-ring also carried by the saidbody-member and rotatable with respect thereto; the said adjusting-ringbeing operatively connected to the said rotary sight-shutter for turningthe same upon rotation of the said ring to vary the effective size ofthe sight-passage in the said body-member.

2. In an adjustable peep-sight, the combination with a body-memberhaving a sight-passage therein; of an adjustable sight-shutter carriedby the said body-member with capacity for rotation with respect theretoand having a plurality of differentially-sized sight-aperturessequentially registrable with the sight-passage in the said body-memberand provided with gear-teeth; and,

an annular adjustin -ring also carried by the said body-member andhaving gear-teeth engageable with the gear-teeth of the saidsight-shutter for moving the same to vary the effective size of thesight-passage in the said body-member.

3. In an adjustable peep-sight, the combination with a body-memberhaving a sight-passage therein; of a rotary sight-shutter having aplurality of differentially-sized sight-apertures carried by the saidbody-member and movable with respect thereto to vary the effective sizeof the sightpassage therein; and a cup-shaped adjustingring rotatablymounted upon the said body-member and having a flange completelyencircling the said sight-shutter and serving to retain the said rotarysight-shutter in place and operatively connected thereto for turning thesame to vary the effective size of the sight-passage in the saidbody-member.

4. In an adjustable peep-sight, the combination with a body-memberhaving a shutter-receiving recess and also having a sight-passageintersecting the said shutter-receiving recess; of a rotarysight-shutter mounted in the shutterreceiving recess of the saidbody-member and having a plurality of differentially-sizedsightapertures sequentially registrable with the sightpassage in thesaid body-member and also having peripheral gear-teeth; a tubular detentmounted in the said body-member in registration with the sight-passagetherein and engaging with the said rotary sight-shutter to yieldinglyhold the same in various positions of adjustment; and an annularadjusting-ring of cup-shaped form carried by the said body-member withcapacity for rotary movement with respect thereto and having an aperturein its end wall aligned with the sightpassage in the said body-member;the said adjusting-ring having inwardly-extending gearteeth engageablewith the peripheral gear-teeth of the said sight-shutter to turn thesame for sequentially registering the sight-apertures therein with thesight-passage of the said bodymember.

THOMAS R. ARDEN.

